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Not a big deal for me. I mean, sure it'll be a little less convenient getting DVDs a day later, but what's to be done? And it's not the end of the world.
This is why I really like having DVDs and streaming together. I get exactly what I want on DVDs and find something else to watch on streaming while I'm waiting for the DVD.
US Postal Service Proposes the End of Next-Day 1st Class Mail
CNN Money reports that the US Postal Service is proposing to end next-day delivery of first class mail, in order to save costs by consolidating facilities. "This isn't a change we're happy about," said Art Sackler, executive director of the National Postal Policy Council, a trade group for lar...
Ho Hos shopping spree, here I come!
OnlineDVDClass Sending Settlement Notices for Netflix & Wal-Mart Class Action Lawsuit
Update: Netflix PR confirmed that the site is legit. Note: I'm waiting on a confirmation from Wal-Mart PR that this email is legit. Tonight several readers (and HackingNetflix) received an email from OnlineDVDClass.com notifying Netflix customers about a proposed settlement offer for the class a...
It's really annoying that, with streaming, it seems we're heading toward a two-company system (or even three if you count Hulu) where all content is divided between them. Imagine if cable providers were that way....you could go with Comcast and only get the exclusive channels of ABC, Fox, MTV, FX, Fox News and Showtime, or you can go with Charter and only get the exclusive channels of CBS, NBC, VH1, AMC, CNN and HBO. Ridiculous.
Amazon Adds PBS Shows Like Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow, Ken Burns & More
Amazon continues to invest in Prime Instant Video and is adding PBS content (from the Amazon home page): We have more good news for Amazon Prime members – Prime Instant Video is growing again. We've now licensed TV programs from PBS including day-after broadcast shows like Frontline and NOVA, m...
Really, Reed is right, these are his first serious missteps. But, they are serious. If he keeps making them, twelve prior years of success won't matter. Reed and netflix better get everything back in order asap and lay off the huge glaring errors in judgment for a good long while.
Reed Hastings Interviewed in NY Times about Qwikster, Stock Price & More
The New York Times interviewed Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, and they discussed the Qwikster launch, the falling stock price, Steve Jobs, and more. Last month, when announcing Qwikster, you apologized for the way Netflix handled its price hikes, writing, “In hindsight I slid into arrogance based u...
Just posting to say that I use a computer and a PS3 with netflix and all are still working perfectly. I also had the PS3 update that Kyle had, and everything works fine for me after.
Netflix Customers Report Queue & Streaming Bugs
Here's a roundup of recent queue and user interface bugs reported by Netflix customers to HackingNetflix: Holly is getting streaming when she only had a DVD plan, "I downgraded to the 2 at a time DVDs without streaming with the recent pricing change. For some reason today streaming showed back ...
Jesus, how do you all get so many movies in your Queue at a time. I've been with netflix over five years and never had more than thirty-something. Usually only around ten or so. Right now I have twenty-something between DVD and instant and feel like it's too much!
Is Netflix Removing the 500 DVD Queue Limit?
Marty writes, "Netflix started allowing more than 500 dvd's in the queue. Sunday 10/2 was the first time I noticed the relaxed restriction. I routinely hit that wall and was pleasantly surprised. I have no idea what the maximum allowed is now, but I did get to 516." I am stuck at 500, including ...
I think I am a Netflix dream customer. I have had the one-out disc plus streaming package since streaming came out. Even after the price split and increase, I kept both. However, I don't use either very much. I watch between one to four discs a month (usually only around two) and stream less than ten movies a month (usually only around five).
I didn't like the price increase, but for me it wasn't that much more to pay to keep the convenience of watching what movies I want, when I want. The thing for me is that I'm a very picky movie-watcher. I want to watch what I want to watch, and though I like brand new releases and tv shows, I also really enjoy hard-to-find foreign, classic and indie movies, and that is where netflix by-mail is the industry leader.
So that is the reason I keep the disc-by-mail package even though I watch so few a month. Because so many of the movies I want to watch are not available through streaming, or anywhere else. So for me (assuming two by-mail a month), I don't mind paying $4.50 per rental to get to watch a movie I really want to see that I can't find anywhere else.
Eventually there will be no more by-mail anywhere (I hope it is later rather than sooner) and when that happens I hope the hard-to-find movies I like will have made their way to streaming.
I didn't mind the Qwikster announcement. I wouldn't have minded two separate bills (who cares really? It's all automatic anyway), two separate websites or a different name. What I DID mind though, was that there was to be no integration at all. That was the fatal flaw in their plan.
If I could have gone to either website and knew that when I added something to my Queue or rated a movie, that it would transfer to the other site as well, then everything would've been fine and dandy. But to think that every time there's a movie I want to add or rate, I have to do twice the work at two sites? That's annoying, especially after a price increase.
Obviously, those of us keeping up with this know that there wasn't going to be any integration because they were planning on selling off one part of their company, probably the by-mail service since it was the one with the name change.
I think it was risky even if there hadn't been a backlash. Netflix is a commanding industry leader when it has both the best by-mail and the best streaming services around, and both under the same brand. By-mail may be dying, but is it a slow death and is still quite popular, and for them to get rid of it would leave them with only their streaming service, which for now is an industry leader but is quite vulnerable.
We've already seen with Starz walking away from netflix that negotiations are going to be ongoing for content and that not only may netflix not acquire some new content, if old deals fall through they may lose content they already have.
Then add in the fact that Amazon has a lot of money to throw at their streaming service and a website that is visited by millions every day. They may not have caught up with netflix yet, but they easily may in the future. Just look at the Kindle, which was not the first or best e-reader, and how it now dominates the e-reader market now simply because it had the Amazon website and marketing money behind it.
So yes, I agree with everyone else, including netflix itself, that it acted too fast for its own good, even if there had been no customer or stock backlash. Who knows if the reason they scrapped Qwikster is because the sell-off deal fell through, or because of mad investors or customers. If I were guessing, I'd say it was because of mad investors and a mad board of directors. If they were going to all the trouble of already announcing the name change and separating their corporate buildings, I think any "deal" they may have had in place to sell the by-mail would've been pretty firm, and if not they could've found another buyer.
If part of the reason the website and company was going to split into two was to free up the separate streaming and physical disc services to improve their deal-making capabilities with studios, then I would suggest they go through with the company split anyway. They could keep "netflix" for streaming and have a site called, say, "netflix classic" for by-mail. These WOULD offer integration, so you really only ever have to visit one site. And it would free up the businesses to operate individually to help netflix acquire more content at a cheaper price. And when they do finally sell the by-mail branch off, which we all know is a matter of when and not if, then the new owner could rename it and, unless the new owner also has streaming (such as Amazon), they could possibly make a deal where integration between the two websites would still be available.
Netflix Cancels Qwikster DVD Spin-off & Keeps DVDs with Netflix
Netflix has listened to customers and has decided to cancel the Qwikster DVD spin-off. “Consumers value the simplicity Netflix has always offered and we respect that,” said Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings. “There is a difference between moving quickly -- which Netflix has done very we...
I'm keeping the same plan - one at a time DVD plus streaming. Yes, that puts me in the group with the highest price increase and that sucks and I'm not happy about it. But, I'm not mad enough about it to stop the service. I need my DVD and my streaming, and because of selection, there is no comparison for me for either service anywhere else (I watch a variety of films including foreign, indie, classic, etc.), and I like their website, recommendations, keeping my list of rated movies, etc. I am hoping they'll give in and offer a combined plan rate of say $13 or so eventually.
Report Suggests That 2 Million Will Quit Netflix over Price Increase
The MSNBC Technoblog cites a study by The Diffusion Group of 500 Netflix subscribers that predicts 12-15% of Netflix subscribers will quit the service. But now, this targeted report from TDG appears to show some compromise on the part of Netflix members, while still registering their disappoin...
This sucks! My prices are going up to almost twice as much!
However, I will stay with the combined plan for now, as I have to get DVDs since I watch a lot of smaller/foreign/indie/older movies that they don't have on streaming yet and I'm picky, and I also have many movies I want to see available on streaming that I don't want to have to wait for if I'm in the mood for watching. Rather than worrying about a 2 or 3 at a time DVD plan to get more movies, I'll just stick with 1 at a time DVD (to get the movies that streaming doesn't have) and streaming too.
That said, I hope this turns out to be a horrid PR move for them and they roll back the prices. 9.99 was too good to stay around, but they still should have some kind of combined deal for, say, 12.99 or 13.99.
New Pricing Poll: What Are You Going to Do?
I'm wondering how you will react to the new pricing: With The New Netflix Pricing I'm Going to... As per a suggestion from the last poll, I've randomized the order of the questions.
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Jul 12, 2011
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